U.S. Intentions In Pacific

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31196, 21 October 1966, Page 11

U.S. Intentions In Pacific

(N Z Press Association—Copyright/ CANBERRA, October 20. Anxiety about America’s longterm intentions in Asia and the Pacific has been in the background of Australian thinking for some time.

A former Australian , Minister for External Affairs, Sir Garfield Barwick, has consistently pressed for some tangible assurance which would show the Australian people that the A.N.Z.U.S. Pact means as much to Americans as it does to Australians. Australian Ministers will almost certainly use the intimacy of a face-to-face talk with the President in their own Cabinet room to reinforce their view on this point. Australian foreign policy is based on the belief that South-east Asia can best be stabilised behind an American "shield.” In this context points on which the Australian Ministers are likely to seek the President’s personal views are expected to include: His assessment of the real intentions of China. American thinking on the long-term problem on containing Chinese expansionism without isolating China from the rest of the world. The real conditions on which he believes negotiations could begin in Vietnam. The Prime Minister, Mr Holt, is likely to press again his ideas on civil aid in Vietnam and economic aid for South-east Asia generally.

This “reverse domino theory” of combating the spread of communism by building up the free nations of Asia figured largely in Mr Holt’s talks with President Johnson in Washington some weeks ago.